Using a chat-based informed consent tool in large-scale genomic research
Sarah Savage, Jonathan LoTempio, Erica D. Smith, E. Hallie Andrew, Glòria Mas Martín, Amanda Kahn-Kirby, Emmanuèle C. Délot, Andrea J. Cohen, Georgia Pitsava, Robert L. Nussbaum, Vincent A. Fusaro, Seth Berger, Éric Vilain
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We implemented a chatbot consent tool to shift the time burden from study staff in support of a national genomics research study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We created an Institutional Review Board-approved script for automated chat-based consent. We compared data from prospective participants who used the tool or had traditional consent conversations with study staff. RESULTS: Chat-based consent, completed on a user's schedule, was shorter than the traditional conversation. This did not lead to a significant change in affirmative consents. Within affirmative consents and declines, more prospective participants completed the chat-based process. A quiz to assess chat-based consent user understanding had a high pass rate with no reported negative experiences. CONCLUSION: Our report shows that a structured script can convey important information while realizing the benefits of automation and burden shifting. Analysis suggests that it may be advantageous to use chatbots to scale this rate-limiting step in large research projects.